News & Media

november 2013 update

Hello, it’s been a while!

Yes, that’s right, there was no update in October, sorry about that. There wasn’t any lack of fresh-expressions related activity going on, it’s just that I didn’t find time to write about it.

My short trip to British Columbia went well, and I enjoyed meetings with friends old and new, in Victoria, Delta and Richmond. I am looking forward to following up on the opportunities the trip alerted me to.

Here in Montreal, the leaves have just about abandoned the trees , and it’s beginning to feel downright winterish. My winter tires are on, the driveway markers are in, all I need to find now are my traction aids, snow brushes and jumper cables! Isn’t it amazing the stuff we need to make it safely through a Canadian winter?

God is preparing his church to face the “changes and chances” of life in post-Christendom Canada. Like winter, this is an exhilarating challenge, but one that God is committed to providing his people with the resources they will need to meet it. Let’s do our best to join him in his mission.

Reimagining Church: shaped for mission has been downloaded many hundreds of times throughout Canada and beyond. It has been taught by bishops. It’s been featured at Diocesan Synods in Halifax and Saskatoon over the past couple of months.

It has most recently been turned into a DVD by the Diocese of Nova Scotia and P.E.I., who have adapted the material for the Maritime Anglican context. You can discover more about their “Reimagining Church in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island” project here. See their Facebook group page here.

One comment from their page read, “Just finished up Session # 1 and as a church leader I found the conversation amazing!!! We went over the two hours and probably could have kept on going! Was so exhilarated that people were engaging in this thought process and it wasn’t just me talking to a wall!” Looks as though they are onto something.

The conference will run from January 30th-February 1st, 2014 at St. Paul`s, Bloor Street, in downtown Toronto.
The plenary speakers are Mike Moynagh & Joe Manafo -(read their bios here.)

Registration opens later this month!

The Mission Shaped Ministry Online course is well underway with people participating in Fort Smith, NWT, Edmonton, AB, Mississauga, ON, and Montreal, QC, meeting online in real time across three time zones. One participant wrote,“I have really been challenged in the on-line classes. Not so much in knowing more “stuff” but in the sense of knowing that there are many of us who are trying to engage a culture which is going in an opposite direction to what Christ has called all of us to! Keep up the great work!”

We meet online for two hours every two weeks, and hope to do so over the next twelve months. Despite a few technical difficulties, which often proved to be simply unfamiliarity with the technology, the experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Five people, some almost five hundred kilometres apart, have been able to be part of an ongoing learning community without having to move or commute in order to be able to participate. The content is excellent, using materials developed by Fresh Expressions in Britain, but adapted for Canada.

The online sessions use the Adobe Connect platform, and feature vocal and visual interaction, videos and powerpoint presentations. Additionally, supporting material, handouts and additional notes can be downloaded from the course’s dedicated website page. The experience is opening up possibilities for delivering top quality training in non-traditional forms using available technologies.

Our hope is that more people who want to receive the kind of training for starting fresh expressions of church the Mission Shaped Ministry course can offer, will want to do so online, where they live, on a day and time that fits with their schedule. We are committed to doing our best to see if we can respond to your need for such training. So, if you, or people whom you know, would be interested in the course, please do not hesitate to email us at msmonline@freshexpressions.ca, so we can start a conversation about you joining a future course.

Messy Church News

Many thanks to Rev. Courtney Crawford and the team at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Coldwater ON for their hospitality and enthusiasm in hosting a Messy Fiesta on Saturday October 5th . Thanks to the participants who were energetic and engaged – we really enjoyed working with you and getting to know you!

The last Messy Fiesta of this year took place on Saturday, November 2 at Trinity United Church in Wallaceburg ON. Thanks to everyone who organised and participated in the day

If you are interested in learning more about Messy Church, being added to the Messy Church eNewsletter list, or finding out about upcoming workshops, please check here. View the Messy Church Canada Facebook page here.